FUTURE IRONDEQUOIT HIGHWAY GARAGE TO BE BUILT OFF TOWN HALL CAMPUS

State-owned property near 590 to become permanent home of DPW

Supervisor David Seeley announced today that the Irondequoit Town Board has accepted a recommendation from an ad hoc site selection committee to relocate the Town’s Department of Public Works (DPW) garage to property currently owned by New York State, near the Route 590/Route104/East Ridge Rd intersection. By moving the DPW from its home of 85 years, the Town will have newfound opportunities in the future to utilize additional space on the Town Hall campus for public amenities.

A Christmas Eve fire destroyed roughly half of the Town’s DPW garage, creating a need for a new permanent facility to house the Town’s fleet. Supervisor Seeley empaneled an ad hoc committee made up of Town residents, staff and members of the Planning Board, Conservation Board and Zoning Board to assess various alternatives for locating a new facility.

“Irondequoit has shown its resiliency these past several months, whether a result of the devastating Christmas Eve fire or our ongoing battles with Mother Nature,” said Supervisor Seeley. “After the fire, I said that we would emerge stronger. Not only does this location make sense, it can help us realize the dream of a less industrialized and congested Town Hall campus that builds off the new library.”

The ad hoc DPW Selection committee looked at 10 potential sites, using a double-blind matrix method to develop an evaluation criteria. Properties did not need to be public and/or currently marketed for sale. Following that assessment, the 590-site emerged as the best alternative. Criteria provided the most weight include: Compatibility with the surrounding area, adequate space and acquisition cost.

The 590-Site has long been eyed as a potential location for a town facility. Most recently, the 2014 Comprehensive Plan referenced the location as a potential new home for the Town’s DPW. The Town is currently engaged in proceedings with New York State Department of Transportation to execute a land transfer, which would likely take several months and require Town Board and Attorney General approval. State DOT has indicated a willingness to part with the property.

Now that a site has been identified, the Town will begin the planning and design phase, concurrently with its process of acquiring the property from New York State. The facility is projected to be completed in 2019, with a Spring 2018 groundbreaking. In the interim, the Town will construct a temporary, four-season structure on the footprint of the destroyed garage. The Town will take control over the facility in the coming weeks, as the insurance adjustment process concludes.

Supervisor Seeley has briefed both Assembly Majority Leader Morelle and Senator Rich Funke, both of whom expressed support for this course of action. The Town will use proceeds of the insurance claim and pursue other funding sources to finance the construction. “We have no choice but to build a new DPW facility. It is essential to being able to provide the basic public services that our residents expect and deserve,” said Seeley. “I thank the committee for their work; the State for their cooperation, and look forward to opening up this new chapter for our Town.”